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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — to go on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — finally
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — to come down
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. season — of the year
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. last — final
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bound — certain
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com